OUR BABIES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9333, 6 October 1910, Page 7

OUR BABIES.

: Published under' the auspices of the , Society for the Health of Women and - Children. "It is wiser to put up a fence at the 1 top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." PLUNKET NURSES' SERVICES FREE. ADDRESSES OF PLUNKET NURSES , ANIX.SECRETARIES. Dunedin. —Plunket Nurees Mrs Matheson and Mies Ellis. Office of the Society, Health Department Rooms, Liverpool street, Dunedin. Office hours, Monday, Thursday and. Saturday, from 2to 3 p.m. Tel. 1136. Hon. j 'eec., Mrs Garr, 8 Heriot row, Tel. 1774. Christchurch.—Plunket Nurees Morgan and Macarthy. Office'-of the 27 Durham etreet South. Tel. 940. Office hours, 2 to 3 p.m. daily, except Saturdays and Sundays. Hon. tec., Mrs F. H. Pyne, Bealey avenue. Tel. 285. Wellington.—Plunket Nurse M'Donald, > 73 Aro; street Tel. 2425. ; Hon. eec., Mrs M'Vicar, -45 Mar joribanks street, City. Teh 2642. , -..- : Auckland.—Plunket Nurse Chappell, Park street. Tel. 851. Office of the Society, 2 Chancery etreet. Tel. 829. Office hours, Tuesaavs anxfr Fridays, 2.20 to- 4 p.m. Hon. sec. ', Mrs. W. H. Parkee, Marinoto,. Symonds • street. Tel. 240. \ Palmerston North.—Plunket Nurse Henderson, car& of W. Park, bookseller, The Square; Tel. 20. Hours, 3 to 4 p.m. daily. Hon. sec, Mre Jae. Young, College street. Napier.—Plunket Nurse Donald, Masonic Hotel. Tel. 87., Hon. sec., Mre E. A. W. Henley, P.O. Box 64. Tel. 147. . ■ •■ New Plymouth.—Plunket Nurse Warnock, Criterion Hotel. Hon. see, Mrs R. J. Matthews. Timaru. —Plunket Nurse Bowman. Office of the Society, Arcade Chambers. Tel. 314. Office hours, 3.30 to 4.30 and 6.30 to 7.30. Hon. sec., Mrs Smitbson, Faillie, Sefton street. Tel. 230. Society's Baby Hospital, Karitane Home, Anderson's Bay, Dunedin. Tel. 1985. Demonstrations on points of interest ' ' to mothers are given by the matron every, Wednesday afternoon from 2.30 to 3.30. All mothers are invited. Messages may be left at any time at the Plunket Nurses' Offices or private addresses. The Society's official sheet of instructions, written by Dr. Truby King, price 3d (postage free), and all other information available from the hon. secretary of each branch. * A COMMON FALLACY. I Strangest of all adverse criticisms of the work which is being done for mother--1 hood and babyhood throughout the Dominion is the not infrequent reifiark: I think it ie much better for babies to have a fight for their lives: then if they are weaklings and unfit to live they go under, while those who ought to survive are rendered stronger by the contest. I mention the matter, «ot only because of its relevancy to tfro subject under survey, but also because my attention was pointedly drawn to thie particular fallacy recently by a friend. It had been quite seriously urged _ on him, with some warmth, that the Society was liable to do babies a grievous wrong by making things too easy for them —by giving them too good a. time. It _ was contended that on Darwinistic principles babies would suffer through being deprived of the boon of the natural "struggle for existence." Of course, the special struggle of our civilisation to which babies have really been subjected during the past half century, and which has brought about so much all-round disease and degeneracy, •has been a most artificial and damaging contest to all concerned. It is sheer noneense. to speak of patent foods, condensed milk, dummies, and soothing powders as if they were natural adversaries, and it is equally absurd to suppose that any baby is benefited by having to contend against foul air, lack of sunshine, lack of exerciee, irregular habits, etc. All such artificial stresses damage the babies who survive—the originally strong, as~well as tho originally delicate. The child who has been through thie mill comes out with all his organs and faculties dwarfed and weakened by the process —a result quite the converse of that contemplated by Darwin as the outcome of the natural struggle for existence. Our farmers don't set about improving their crops and raising the standard of their flocks and herds by subjecting them to a struggle against the results of starvation, neglect, and caroleesnces; why, then, should parents be more hopeful as to the rc6ults of such, measures when applied to their own offspring ? They should surely, realise that maltreated babies make inferior men and women.

A NATURAL STRUGGLE. When two atage or two game cocke pit themselves against one another two benefits to the race, may be expected — (1) Each combatant develops hie muscles, and, indeed, his ■ whole organiem and powers, in the contest. (2) The progeny tende to be that of the victor. ] People who talk glibly about tho "Struggle for Existence" should, reraem- , ber that certain simple and primary con- ■ ditions have to be fulfilled in order to ensure that the reeult shall be beneficial ' and not harmful to the race. The above fallacy was perhaps euffici- ] ently answered in a previous article, but I mav quote a paragraph from "The Feeding and Care of the Baby" (page 134), which will make the matter still clearer. EFFECTS OF BABY AILMENTS. During illness of. any kind all work in the direction of building and repair is imperfectly done. Hence it ie that the naile are always marked by a groovo after fever —the bottom of each groove consisting of the portion of the nail which was formed during , the illness. For the time being all tho.naile are thus locally thinned; but this matters little, since nails are constantly growing and being cut off. Not so with *■ the enamel of the teeth. Enamel ie formed once for all, .in infancy and childhood, and if there are thin portions, due to debility, indigestion, attacks of diarrhoea, etc., during the time when the enamel is in course of formation, the teeth will- tend to decay wherever there has been an inadequate deposit of the necessary protective covering. Dental surgeons arc always telling us that nowadays the coating of enamel is exceedingly thin —often, indeed, almost absent in places. Can we wonder at this, seeing that few children enjoy uninterrupted good health during their early and most important growing years! The mother who wants to ensure her baby sound, long-lasting teeth must 6ee to it that he is kept as healthy as possible throughout. Every illness should bo regarded as at leaet a temporary victory for the microbes—a defeat which retards the growth and development of" the whole organism, and renders it an easier prey to most other germs in the future. Pitched battles waged with microbes are a waste of time and energy pre-

cious to the growing child, and leave hie tissues weakened, not strengthened, by the fight. Yet as soon as the baby has "recovered" from any illneee, the . mother thinks the results of her mistakes are at an end: but this is not eo —more or less of life-long damage has been done A check sustained in early life always leaves a permanent impress on the organism, whether plant or animal. Farm crops which have been blighted in the seedling stage may. flourish afterwards and give a good yield, but not so good as if the plants had gone ■straight ahead. Trees which have been transplanted or diseased in "infancy," though they may afterwards grow "remarkably well," do not attain the ultimate stature or perfection of trees whose progress hae been subjected to no euch temporary interruption.